MLB Spring Training 2012: Freddy Garcia Hit by Comebacker in 7-5 Loss to Jays
March 14, 2012 · Kenny DeJohn · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Oh, what a difference a season makes.
The Yankees entered last spring training with a starting pitching deficiency. Sure, they had many options, but it was uncertain how valuable several of those options were.
Fast forward to spring training in 2012, and the team now has six capable starters with just five spots in the rotation.
The first two spots will be occupied by CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda, with the final three spots being up for grabs between the likes of Ivan Nova, Michael Pineda, Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia.
Nova and Pineda are considered favorites for two of the three spots, with the race for the final rotation spot being between Hughes and Garcia.
After going three scoreless innings on Sunday, Hughes put himself in a good position early on in spring training.
After today’s game against the Blue Jays, though, Hughes may not need to worry about Garcia as much as he needed to a week ago.
Leading off the fourth inning, Toronto left fielder Edwin Encarnación hit a sharp comebacker that hopped once and struck Garcia in his pitching hand. The ball hit directly between his right thumb and index finger and the area quickly began to swell.
He immediately left the game with the Yankees trainer.
Before exiting the contest, Garcia was pitching fairly well. In his three-plus innings of work, Garcia allowed four hits and one walk while striking out three. He also served up a solo home run to Encarnación in the second.
It’s reported that X-rays came back negative, but it’s likely that Garcia will miss a few weeks to let the swelling in his hand go down. Given the location of the swelling, it will be difficult for Garcia to grip the ball tightly until his hand is healed.
Given the injury to Garcia, it’s very likely that Hughes will be awarded the final spot in the Yankee rotation come the end of spring training.
Garcia may come back and outperform Hughes when he is fully healed, but Hughes will be stretched out farther than Garcia by the time he returns.
Missing time early can be a killer for pitchers, as it’s likely that Garcia will come back in a few weeks and have to start back from square one.
Thankfully for the Yankees, this injury doesn’t do much to affect the depth of the rotation. Garcia will only miss a few spring starts, and will likely be the first option if Hughes falters as the No. 5 starter.
Manager Joe Girardi was happy with his start, citing just one negative:
“He just got his hand in the way. That’s the one thing I didn’t like.”
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